Josiaii jones



Nirnn STATES JOSIAH JONES, OF IIALLSVILLE, MISSOURI.

HOOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,446, dated February11, 1896.

Application filed September 13, 1895. Serial No. 562,423. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSIAH JONES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hallsville, in the county of Boone and State of Missouri,have invented a new and useful Hoop, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to hoops, and particularly to the means of joiningtogether the meeting ends of the hoop so as to do away with nails orstaples and with the liability of the hoop to loosen and come apart.

The object of my invention is to provide a hoop-lock adapted to any bandor tie,whether used on a barrel, pail, tank, bale or any other place,which will secure a smooth joint flush with the inner face of the joinedmembers, and which also leaves a smooth outer surface with no looseends, and which cannot be loosened by any strain, either lateral orlongitudinal,short of bursting the hoop itself.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a front elevation of myimproved hoop. Fig. 2 is a similarview of the locking ends separated in unlocked position. Fig. 3 is aplan view thereof in locked position. Fig. 4 is a central longitudinalsection thereof. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1, andFig. 6 is a similar cross-section on line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

()ne end of the hoop 1 is provided with an elongated slot 2, whosesquared outer end 3 terminates at the point in the hoop where the outerbevel ibegins. The sides of slot2 converge at the rear end 5, which endis beveled to provide a guiding-groove 6 to aid in directing the thinedge 7 of the opposing end 8 of the hoop. This end 8 is provided oneither edge with notches 9 cut down slantingly from their rear ends toform a nick or shank 10, and out directly in at right angles to the hoopedges at their outer ends to form retainingshoulders 12 projectinglaterally from either side of said shank 10.

The end 8 is adapted to be bent around obliquely below and in front ofthe slotted end, and its edge 7 is then inserted through slot 2 untilthe shank portion 10 passes into said slot. The two ends are thenbrought back into alignment and the shoulders 12 hooked behind the outerend of the slot. To insure certainty of alignment and rigidity andcompactness, I shave down the inner side of shank 10 at 13 so as to thinit toward the shoulders, and then cut out an inner shoulder 14 alignedwith shoulders 12. This inner shoulder 14 is arranged to abut against asimilar transverse shoulder 15, formed by shaving the side walls of theslot 2 on their inner faces from the rear end of the slot outward toform recesses 16, terminating in the square shoulder 15 aligned with theslot end 3. In order to allow the adjacent inner surfaces of theportions of the hoop beyond said shoulder 12 and 13 to align properlyflush with each other, I thin down the portions 17 beyond shoulders 12,leaving walls 18 aligned with shank 10 parallel to the hoop edges sothat said portions 17 may lie in and correspond to the recesses 16. Aflat groove 19 is also pro vided, sloping outwardly from end 3 of theslot, to receive the shank 10. The rear bottom end 20 of this groove 19is flush with the inner faces or bottoms of recesses 16. Thus it willappear that, inasmuch as shoulder 14 is of the same depth as shoulder15, the arrangement just described will necessitate that the abuttinginner edges of said shoulders shall lie flush with each other.

The operation of my hoop lock or joint has already been alluded to. Itconsists of twisting the hook end 8 so as to pass its thin edge 7through the slot 2 with the aid of guidinggroove 6. The hoop is thenallowed to spring back into its normal plane, which brings the shoulders12 and 14 of the hook end 8 locked or hooked against shoulder 15 of theslot end of the hoop. Shank 10 now rests snugly with its side 13 in flatgroove 19, and the thinned strips 17 occupy the recesses 16, theadjacent walls 18 thereof abutting against the side walls of the slotand the edges of the shank 1O resting against the walls of groove 19.

My improved interlocking arrangement of the hoop ends has been describedas applied to a wooden hoop; but of course the same form and arrangementof parts is equally applicable to metallic hoops or to any separatedparts which are to be hooked together and permit of a twisting motion,as in clasps for hawsers, splices, &c.

hat I claim is-- 1. An interlocking joint for two independ-'longitudinal slot, a recessed portion behind said slot tapering from athin rear end to a deeper outer end in alignment with the outer end ofsaid slot whereby a single transverse shoulder is formed extendingentirely across the end, a central longitudinal neck or shank in theother end provided atits outer end with a single inner transverseshoulder extending entirely across the end and also provided with twolateral shoulders, one on either side of said shank aligning with andconstituting parts of said transverse shoulder, whereby each of saidends is provided with but a single shoulder which extends transverselyentirely across it and both of said shoulders being adapted tooo-operate substantially as described.

2. In a locking-joint for a hoop, the combination with the two usualends beveled to thin edges at their extremities, one end having atapering recess formed in the inner side of one hoop end and terminatingat its outer portion in a transverse shoulder extending entirely acrossits respective end, a closed longitudinal slot through said endoutwardly beveled at its rear end and terminating at its outer end inalignment with said inner shoulder and constituting a part thereof and ashallow groove in the outer side of said hoop end longitudinally alignedwith said slot and tapering in at its rear bottom end to align flushwith the outer bottom end of said inner recess, a tapered depression onthe inner side of the opposite hoop end terminating at its outer end ina transverse shoulder extending entirely across the said end, said hoopend being notched at either edge adjacent to the said depression to forma shank adapted to fit within the aforesaid slot, said notchesterminating at their outer ends in shoulders aligned with andconstituting portions of the said inner transverse shoulder and saidshoulders being cut away on their outer faces to bring said faces inalignment flush with the bottom of said inner depression, substantiallyas described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of Witnesses.

JOSIAH JONES;

Vitnesses XV. L. ROBINSON, D. B. CARPENTER, A. O. IIULEN.

